The Mars Volta

So there was this band At the Drive-In that broke up. Three members went on to form the more emo-ish Sparta, the other two, Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez, started The Mars Volta. And let me tell you, The Mars Volta are way better than anything At the Drive-In did. Putting out perhaps the most unique major label rock album of the year (De-Loused in the Comatorium), The Mars Volta fuses hardcore with psychedelic free jazz to create epic, sweeping songs about such uplifting topics as asphyxiation and cadavers. And then there's Bixler's voice. He can hit some high notes once thought solely belonging to Robert Plant. Voice aside, The Mars Volta definitely give a nod to Zeppelin in their jam rock stylings. If that statement turns you off, don't worry. I hate jam bands, too. It's not that kind of jam. These guys are good at what they do. But you probably already knew that.